I’ve taken a few odd lot pictures over the last few months. Looking back at them, I see a novel. And do know, before you begin reading, I didn’t set up any of these photos, I just snapped them as I ran across them.
This snazzy convertible was parked in front of a local sandwich shop. In my head, I began to imagine a story about some guy having asked out this girl he just met, taking her out for a casual late dinner, with the top down, because it’s cool. And it’s not just cool, it’s FRIGID! I took the photo of the car and immediately the photo of my own dashboard, showing the outside temperature as 38°! (Chapter 1-how’s she going to feel about him? Will he visit her in the hospital as she recovers from frostbite?
Despite the fact that he tried to show off and she nearly froze to death, still, she likes him. So she decides to make her world famous fudge for him, trimmed into cute little heart shapes for Valentine’s Day. She goes to the grocery store and shops for ingredients. On the way to the checkout, she realizes that she’s somewhat short on time, and really, he’s a little full of himself, driving her around town that night, with the top down, in nearly freezing weather. So, maybe a package of conversation hearts will be all right for a first, “we’re not really serious about this” Valentine’s Day. She picks up a package of them, leaving behind the evaporated milk.
He also shops for an appropriate Valentine’s gift. He thinks about what he likes for snacks and chooses some yummy peanut butter M & M’s. He walks by a sale shelf and notices lots of cute bowls. Well, he notices some bowls; he doesn’t actually use the word “cute” in his head, but he’s thinking it might be a nice gift to include bowls that they can use to pour their yummy peanut butter M & M’s into. He’s just about to pick up a couple of them when he remembers: did she say something about gluten? What did she say about gluten? Do yummy peanut butter M & M’s contain gluten? Is he going to have to Google that? Or go to the M & M website to find out? Maybe he shouldn’t get that candy until he knows for sure. Possibly he will decide that another gift would be better anyway. Maybe some things that are red. On long stems. And smell good. Maybe.
Things move along pretty quickly, an engagement happens and wedding plans are made. She’s had a stressful day, dealing with caterers, florists, printers, photographers, videographers, mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters, cousins, and long forgotten college roommates. Looooooong forgotten college roommates. And Facebook friends. She needs a break. But, at the checkout, she comes face to face with a wedding magazine, and realizes that the Ghiradelli Chocolate Mousse Premium Hot Cocoa mix may not be the best choice the day before the final dress fitting. She walks away.
After the wedding, they move into their new home. He’s all gung ho about the yard. At the store, he’s got a cart, and he’s tossing in grass seed and weed killer and hoses and spray nozzles and seed package after seed package after seed package. She stops the cart at the end of the aisle and tosses in a couple of boxes of Claritin. He raises his eyebrows to ask a question. “Oh, yeah,” she says. “If all this stuff is going on the yard, I’m going to need several boxes of this.
It’s their first married Thanksgiving. His family is coming to visit. “Thanksgiving is my Mom and Dad’s favorite holiday. They love Thanksgiving. They hate the way it’s always overshadowed by Christmas. I want this to be their best Thanksgiving ever, now that we’re together!” So they go out the day after Halloween, to begin their Thanksgiving holiday decorative shopping. And they’re in for a big surprise. Thanksgiving should be there, right between the half-off Halloween stuff and the Christmas stuff. Where is it? Where is it? No, really. WHERE IS IT!!!!!
Time flew by. A baby came. And, as babies do, it consumed all their time, all their energy, all their resources, and all their space. After the first few months in a little bassinet, baby needs it’s own room. And the only available other room is the room that used to be the office/study. Something, or lots of somethings, has to go. Who has time to read any more anyway? So they fill their Baby Distilled Water boxes with books that used to be important to them. Books that aren’t really that necessary any more.
A couple of years later, one of them goes to the store to get something special for a birthday celebration. Maybe for the kid, maybe a neighbor, maybe it’s for one of their moms. A walk through the bakery for some birthday-worthy cupcakes. On the way to the checkout, there’s the cookie aisle. And in the cookie aisle there are, oh yes, OREOS! Everyone loves Oreos. What a decision! Nice birthday cupcakes or OREOS!. You can see for yourself what got left behind. At home, … well, you can write your own ending, which will probably depend on how you feel about Oreos. And your kid…or your neighbor…or your mother/mother-in-law.
THE END
So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us, using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives. Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story’s beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught.
Luke 1:1-4 (The Message)
Story is how we understand so much of what is around us. Jesus used stories to teach. Much of the Bible is stories to help us learn and understand. Comparing our own stories with the stories of others helps us find our places in God’s plan for us. It’s fun to see people and situations and make up stories about what I can imagine. But it’s wrong to assume that I automatically know someone else’s story just because we nod at each other every morning on our daily commutes or or we’ve chosen the same kind of bagel (or wildly different bagel) at the coffee shop. Knowing someone’s story is essential to knowing how to help, how to respond, how to listen, and how to show love.